Tendulkar becomes Mahabharat's Arjun in friend's painting

Sachin Tendulkar's unwavering focus on the cricket field has inspired his friend and maverick artist Sanatan Dinda to paint the retiring icon as mythological epic Mahabharat's warrior prince Arjuna

The oil on canvas portrait of Tendulkar, who is playing his 199th and penultimate Test match in the Eden Gardens here, resembles the character Arjuna. Tendulkar is painted in grey colour with a blue patch on his forehead signifying his dreams and ambitions to touch the sky.

Dinda, who made the sketch two days ago before the Eden game began, told PTI that it was a spontaneous decision. "I never thought that I will make his portrait.

Suddenly a thought came into my mind and I started painting impulsively," said the painter, who has gifted five of his earlier paintings to the cricketer and sold him another six. "Even when there is so much craze among fans and in the whole of media on his last game, he remains casual and composed," he added.

Dinda is not going to sell this painting, which has now become very close to his heart.

"If Sachin wants this, I won't say no to him. But I want to keep this with me in a personal museum which I will curate in the future," he said.

A friend of the veteran batsman for many years, Dinda said he wants to gift Tendulkar, who is known to be an art collector, either a Tagore painting or a sculpture.

"I will mail images of both to him after the Eden Test and let him decide which one he wants as a gift. That will be my offering to the God of cricket," the artist said.

The painting, titled 'Robir Aalo', which the artist never sold to anyone since it was painted two years ago, is a tribute to Tagore. And the sculpture is a transformed art form one of his celebrated 'Yug Purush' series of portraits.